The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1887-09-29


Hatch" she responded with dignity.
The subject was dropped.
One strong, swift breath Of wind
swept from the west: then all was still
again. From red the clouds had as
sumed a greenish tint. 1t was now SO
sitting it seemed as If a huge, hot
blanket had been thrown over Us and
was held down by Titan.
Randy stood up.
Il guess Lily'd better come in," she
said.
She put her hands beside her mouth
and gave shrill. penetrating call.
Lily heard her, for she took off her hat
| and waved it toward the bluff. With
the opera glass we could see plainly
that she Immediately began to row
shoreward. Somewhat further away
toward the north saw Marsh Yates
in his red shirt. sitting in his boat.
..'Twont do no good to call to
Marsh" said his wife. Il might split
my throat'n he wouldn't come in till
he got ready. Besides, he's as safe
there's anywhere, Id knows there
could anything hurt him if he was in
his dory.''
We all, save Mrs. Rankin, settle
back again into our languor, and
ceased to watch the sea or the sky.
She began to move restlessly about
She took the opera glasses and gazed.
Then she shaded her eyes and gazed.
Lily's dory was gliding toward us
slowly over the still water. The count
less figures sauntered on the beach in
front of the cottages. 1t was growing
darker. Suddenly it was no longer
still. A wind came from we knew not
where. II bent us over as we stood on
the cliff. The gay crowd off there scat
tered like butterflies. The black water
boiled and foamed. The green clond
was rising in the sky, trailing funnel
shaped toward the zenith. Lightning
PLAYED on its bosom. Until now there
had been no thunder; now it began to
crash and crackle. We could not
stand upright. but we tried to do 50
that we might watch those two in do
ries. MARSH always did say he'd
ruther be in his boat in tempest, =
said Mrs. Yates in shrill voice.
But her face belied her words. The
small. fiat-bottomed boats went about
like chips. Randy was the only one
that could stand upright. All at once
she dropped the glasses. was close
by her, and something made me take
fast hold Of her arm. She turned to
me but do not think she saw me.
.Lily's lost an oar she said.
knew BY the movement Of her lips
what her words were. Carlos stopped
and picked up the lorgnet. The next
moment she put her mouth to Randy
ear and shonted:
Marsh will save her! He has al
most reached herr
Even if she had not lost her oar could
the child have done anything in such a
time? But Marsh, the big fisherman,
was at home out there. Maria Jane
was on her knees, peering forward.
There was glow on her face--a glow
of pride in her husband She glanced
at us as if she SAID that now, at last.
we should know what stuff Marsh was
made of. We could see that he was
like giant, and he had need to be.
The green cloud spread and spread.
The wind came in violent gusts, with
moments of ominous calm between. In
spite of the coming tempest the people
in the fishing settlement here gathered
near us. crouching against the gale
when it came; looking out at the two
dories. In one Of the calms voice
croaked out hoarsely:
..Marsh can't do it. No man can't
Two's too many for a dory in such a
time
1t was Capt. Asel. Randy heard and
shivered. but did not speak. Maria
Jane turned fiercely on the speaker.
Il guess you'll see that my husband
knows what he's about" she said. Her
handsome dark face became, however,
more and more rigid, and her eyes
more strained. The next instant she
threw her clasped ha Ids up in the air.
'.See" she cried out, MARSH en-
do it!'
1t had taken both strength and skill
to lift Lily out of her boat into his own,
but Marsh had done it. began to
have Maria James faith.
..Can Lily swim?" ! asked of her
grandmother.
Like frog" was the answer.
In the lull, Marsh's strong skillful
strokes brought his dory several rods
nearer. We could begin to see Lily's
streaming light hair. She sat with per-
feet quietness just where Marsh had
placed her. If for three minutes the
tempest would hold off! They were
now inside of Seal Ledge, almost in the
shoal water. 1t was nearly high tide.
In spite of US. Randy dashed down the
the cliff and appeared on the stony
beach below us, opposite the boat.
Maria was still her knees, bending
forward.
..Marsh could er got in if he hadn',
stopped for Lily" l heard her say to
herself.
The tempest did not hold off. Now
came flash, a crashing of thunder. A
bolt went down before us into the wat
er. The green cloud was overhead.
But still it did not rain. The wind
came again. When our eyes ceased to
be so blinded we tried to see. Marsh's
dory was split clean in two parts and
floating away on the left. Marsh and
Lily were in the water. Marsh's face
was upturned in a strange, still way,
and Lille was holding him with one
hand while she swan slowly shoreward
with her burden.
never knew how we went. But it
was but breath of time before we
all at the waters edge. Lemuel Hatch,
who had but just come, dashed in and
swan out the few yards between us and
those two. Randy waded in waist high.
But Maria Jane stood perfectly still,
her feet in the curling foam Of the in
coming tide. In moment Lily stag
gered up standing and fell into her
grandmother arms. But Marsh only
moved as the waves moved him.
He had been struck by that last flash,